1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-media communication apparatus for transmitting an image signal and a voice signal through a communication line.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, multi-media communication apparatuses capable of performing speech and image communications are known. The present applicant has filed, as inventions associated with multi-media communications, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 628,178, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 668,897, U.S. Patent Application based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2-236848 and 3-128360, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 758,697, and U.S. Patent Application based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2-251195 and 2-414513.
FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a conventional telephone set with a telephone number memory. In this telephone set, telephone numbers registered using ten keys 210 are stored in a telephone number memory 230 in units of registration numbers (e.g., 1 to 20) through a memory control unit 220. When a telephone call is to be made to a given party, the corresponding registration number is input using the ten keys 210. In response to this operation, the memory control unit 220 reads out a telephone number corresponding to the input registration number, and a dial control circuit 240 performs a dial operation based on the readout telephone number. In this manner, the given party can be accessed through a telephone line 25.
When a user wants to make a telephone call by inputting a registration number using the above-mentioned telephone set, an unintended wrong number may be called since the calling operation relies only on the registration number. When the user forgets a registration number of a telephone number of a party to be called, he or she cannot call the telephone number.
In a conventional multi-media communication apparatus, a device for, when calling is to be performed to a given party to be communicated, automatically calling a corresponding telephone number upon depression of a key corresponding to a name and number of the party, is known.
In the conventional multi-media communication apparatus, a user can watch an image of a given person only after the person responds to a call after calling, and hence, cannot visually recognize the person's image before calling. It is often easier to specify a person by watching his or her image than to do so by observing his or her name. In this case, it is a problem that the person's image cannot be visually recognized before calling.